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Sparrow's Journey: Chapter Fifteen
WRITTEN: 11 July 2012 Chapter Fifteen: Brightwall Academy The next morning, an unhappy Walter Beck met Sparrow and Reaver just outside of Bowerstone on Bower Lake Road. 'Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,' Reaver said cheerfully, making Walter scowl even more, as he led the way to Bower Lake. 'Leave him alone, Reaver,' Sparrow said quietly. 'I'd be unhappy to if I were in his shoes. It would be like me babysitting Lucien.' 'Well he better get used to it, for we'll probably be there for a long time,' Reaver said with a shrug. Meanwhile, Walter walked straight backed, not taking his eyes off Sparrow. He did not believe that he had change and he didn't believe the murderer ever would. Nor would he ever forgive him for what he did. Besides, he was probably walking to his death. Why he had to go was beyond him. He was only eighteen, still an in-training guard. None of the other apprentices had to babysit murderers. Walter was that busy glaring at Sparrow that he didn't notice the bandits that had slowly began to enclose around them, when they entered Bower Lake. Fortunately, Sparrow did, and as one of the bandits pulled the trigger of his gun to kill Walter, Sparrow tackled the young guard out of the way. Meanwhile, the bullet continued to travel and would have hit Reaver if the old pirate hadn't heard the gun shot and hadn't turned around and blocked it with his sword. Walter sat there gaping at the two Heroes. He couldn't believe that Sparrow had saved him. Nor could he believe that Reaver just blocked a bullet so carelessly. He then started cursing himself for not being more aware of everything. He hurriedly drew his sword and joined Reaver in attacking the bandits. Sparrow just sat on a fence carefully watching everything. With no weapons he was useless. His Will was yet to come back. Eventually, the guard and the Thief had defeated all the bandits. 'You know, most people would thank someone for saving their life,' Reaver told Walter as he picked up his belongings. 'Or don't they teach young guards how to use their manners?' 'Saving my life doesn't make up for all the pain and misery he has caused!' Walter snapped, before walking off towards the Brightwood road. 'Is it just me, or does he really hate you?' Reaver said to Sparrow. 'He really hates me.' 'I thought so. Hey, kid, watch out for those giant beetles!' Walter stopped and looked at the Thief, wondering what he was on about. However, when he looked down around him, he saw that he had just walked into a swarm of giant, angry beetles. He gave a weird, panicked yell, and ran off a bit. Reaver rolled his eyes and quickly shot them all. 'Jeez, they let anyone be a guard today,' Reaver said when the two Heroes stopped next to the young guard. 'What did you do? Bribe someone?' 'For your information I'm only an apprentice!' Walter growled. 'That explains a lot,' said Reaver. 'Well, seeing as your teacher isn't here I guess it falls to Sparrow and I to correct your mistakes. Mistake fix-up number one: pay attention to your surroundings so you won't be killed!' 'Something is bothering you,' Sparrow stated as Walter opened his mouth to retort. Walter's retort never left the tip of his tongue. Instead, he stared at Sparrow, before saying, 'Just wondering why those bandits surrounded us. Normally they only attack traders, not guards and people with weapons.' 'Probably could smell all the gold we are carrying,' said an unconcerned Reaver. 'Even so...' said an unconvinced Walter. 'It wasn't our gold,' Sparrow said quietly, leading the way. 'You guards aren't the only ones who want me dead,' he said, smiling slightly at Walter. 'The bandits have wanted me dead since I was born.' 'Really? Why is that?' 'My father was the Hero of Southcliff and he made a lot of enemies, including the bandit leader, Slayer. When I was five, Slayer and his men capture me, my mother and older sister, Rose, in order to kill my father knowing that we were his weakness. They didn't succeed. Father, Rose and I all escaped. Then several days later, they killed my father. They want his entire bloodline dead, hence, the reason why they were trying to kill me. Probably doesn't help that I have killed so many bandits.' 'They're not the only people you have killed,' Walter said darkly. 'I'm not proud of what I did, Walter.' 'It doesn't matter. You still did it. You still hurt a lot of people, whether directly or indirectly,' Walter said coldly, before storming off. 'It's going to be a long year,' Sparrow grumbled to Reaver. '-----SPARROW'S JOURNEY-----' When the trio arrived in Brightwall, night had fallen which allowed Sparrow to enter the quiet town without starting a riot. Once inside the town, Reaver went into the tavern to find the current owner of the mansion. 'Might as well make yourself comfortable, we're likely to be here a while,' Sparrow said, sitting down on the dirty road with his back leaning against the tavern wall. 'Why?' Walter asked. He remained standing. 'Reaver just entered a tavern where there is likely to be a lot of attractive people. He'll probably get distracted.' 'Why don't you see the seller yourself, then?' asked a slightly annoyed Walter. He had no wish to stand there unnecessarily. 'And have people screaming and yelling insults at me? Trust me when I say it's better if Reaver goes out in public.' 'Good point.' Silence fell upon the two men as they waited for Reaver. Ten minutes later, Reaver emerged with an elderly man. 'Hello, Sparrow,' the elderly man greeted when he and Reaver stopped in front of Sparrow. 'I hear you are still keen to buy my families old mansion.' 'Yes, sir,' said Sparrow, 'and I'm prepared to give you a generous offer for it. Shall we go there and talk business?' 'You want to go to that haunted mansion to talk business?' The elderly man seemed shocked. 'No, I never want to go near that place. Why not discuss it in the tavern over a drink?' 'I can't. I'm kinda the most feared and hated man in Albion. We'll have people interrupting us constantly, by screaming and insulting me.' 'Then they can go an’ boil their heads.' Sparrow laughed good-naturedly, startling Walter. He didn't believe it was even possible for Sparrow to make such a noise. 'He is human, you know,' Reaver said quietly as Sparrow and the elderly man continued to decide on a place to hold business. He had noticed Walter's startled look. 'He always has been. He's just had his emotions hidden and desperately tried to push everyone away so he wouldn't be hurt. Only five of us could see the truth.' 'Let me guess, one of them is you,' replied Walter. 'So who were the other four?' 'There was that sheriff, Derek, a blind hag, the barbaric Hero of Strength and a scholar, the Hero of Will.' 'Derek I understand seeing as he knew Shadow Fiend as a child, but what of the others?' 'I honestly don't know... especially about the hag, but the other Heroes and I learnt about his past and when we did, we saw through the illusion he had created for himself. One day, you might as well, but to do that, you need to get rid of the way you currently portray him as and stop calling him Shadow Fiend. His name is Sparrow.' 'Good news!' Sparrow interrupted their conversation happily, though Walter wondered if he was actually aware of the conversation. 'Clive has agreed that we shall stay the night at his place. Then tomorrow morning we can move into the Academy.' 'Academy?' Clive repeated looking confused. 'That's what I plan to turn it into.' 'Will you need someone to look after it?' 'When it's up and running I will be. I’ll especially need someone to organise it. I'm hopeless at organising things.' 'Tell me about it,' Reaver muttered, thinking back to Sparrow's messy house with everything just thrown everywhere, as they headed to the elderly man's place. 'Well, I'm willing to give the mansion to you cheaper if you hire my grandson, Samuel. He'd be a little bit older then you two lads,' Clive said, looking at Reaver and Sparrow. Reaver snorted and shared a look with his Hero friend. Clive didn't notice it, but Walter did. He looked at Reaver suspiciously. 'He's got all the skills necessary to run an Academy -' 'Say no more. I'd love for him to work there. Besides, it is his ancestral home. He has the right.' 'Thank you, my boy. I've been nagging him for years to find a job suitable for his talent but he refuses to leave Brightwall. Says he loves it here, but I secretly believe he wants to stay here looking after me. You three probably know how he feels with the need to protect your own fathers.' Sparrow, Reaver and Walter all shook their heads. 'What do you mean you don't?' Clive demanded. His eyes fell upon Reaver first. 'Why don't you worry about your old man?' 'He's been dead for years,' Reaver said with an uncaring shrug. 'Besides, we had a falling out and he disowned me.' 'Why would he do that?' 'I don't remember, but I think it was over me wanting to travel the seas instead of working on the family farm for the rest of my life. Never understood why he cared. He still had my three older brothers to look after it.' 'You had brothers?' said a shocked Sparrow. Reaver nodded his head in a way that said, 'Unfortunately.' 'What about you, Sparrow? Did you have a fall out with your father too?' 'No. Mine was killed by Slayer, bandit leader of all bandits, when I was five.' Sparrow gave Clive a small smile. 'I'm sorry to hear that. It is said that the Hero of Southcliff met his untimely end by Slayer's blade, too.' 'The Hero of Southcliff was my father.' 'Oh... Well, he was a good man. I had only seen him on several occasions, but what I did see of him I can see in you.' Clive looked at Walter who avoided the man's gaze. 'I know you know that I'm looking at you, young man. So answer my question.' 'You know what you are asking is highly personal, don't you?' Walter said coldly. 'I do.' Walter glared at Clive before saying, 'My father was one of the victims of the Oakfield massacre.' Sparrow paled visibly. So now he knew. 'Did Michael know?' he asked quietly. 'Of course he did,' Walter snapped. 'Then why -?' 'Why did he order me to guard the man who murdered my father? No idea.' Reaver and Clive both stared at Sparrow, hardly daring to believe their ears. Both of them knew that Sparrow had done terrible things, but neither of them thought he was capable of that. At least I now know why he kept saying Hammer would never forgive him, Reaver thought, stunned as an awkward silence began, no one knowing what to say, but they're were saved from saying anything when they arrived at Clive's house. 'Here we are then,' Clive said, before calling out into the house, ‘Sam, I'm home! Come down to the dining room. There's someone I want you to meet.' 'I'll be down in a second, Grandfather,' Samuel yelled downstairs. 'Please, make yourself comfortable,' Clive told his guests, leading them into the living room. Sparrow and Reaver sat on one of the couches next to each other, while Walter went and stood by the window with his arms crossed, looking moodier than usual. Moments later, a man in his late thirties came downstairs, smiling, but when he saw Sparrow, his smile faded and he paled. 'Grandfather, what is he doing here?' he said uncertainly. 'Sparrow and his friends - er -' 'This is Reaver, and the teenager is Walter, but we're not friends. He's a guard apprentice sent to make sure I don't break any laws,' said Sparrow. 'It’s nice to meet you, Samuel. Your grandfather speaks of you highly.' 'Sorry if I can't say the same for you,' Samuel said, walking over to Clive, not taking his eyes off Sparrow. 'Good news, Sam,' began Clive. 'Sparrow is going to buy the old family mansion, and turn it into an Academy.' 'Really?' Samuel's suspicion and uncertainty vanished instantly and was replaced with interest. 'That will be great for this town!' 'And for you.' 'What do you mean, Grandfather?' 'While I have the funds and resources to put the Academy together, I have no idea how to manage or run one, which is why I want you to work there, if you are interested, of course,' said Sparrow. Samuel looked torn between working his dream job and working with a known killer. In the end the dream job won. 'I'd love too. When do I start?' 'You can start straight away if you want.' For the rest of the night, Sparrow and Samuel discussed the running, structure, and management, with Reaver and Clive occasionally adding in suggestions. 'I honestly don't care about the structure as such as long as there is a section for rare books and documents can go on display and that the Reliquary is sealed off to the public and staff, so only those bearing the Guild Seal can enter.' 'What's a Guild Seal?' Walter asked suspiciously. 'This.' Sparrow took his Guild Seal out of his pocket. 'It is an ancient device that all Heroes once carried. It allowed them to enter places others could not and allowed the Guild Masters to talk to them, when necessary. As far as I know, this is the last one in existence.' Sparrow allowed Samuel to examine it. 'Fascinating, but if it's the last one, how'd you get hold of it?' 'It belonged to the Hero of Oakvale and seeing as I'm his only living descendant, it now belongs to me. His sister, Theresa, my guardian and guide, gave it to me when I was eighteen.' 'The Hero of Oakvale had children,' said a shocked Walter. 'No wonder you're so evil. You take after your-whatever great grandfather.' 'Forget being related to the Hero of Oakvale, I cannot believe you are related to that blind hag,' Reaver said, shocked, 'though that does explain a few things.' 'And it doesn't make you feel so old either, does it?' Sparrow smirked. 'Nope.' 'How is that even possible?' asked Samuel. 'She'd have to be six hundred years old.' 'The Archon's direct line is different it other people. Our blood, the blood of Heroes, makes us stronger and more resistant to things than the average human-been, though it sometimes skips family members, like my older sister. However, due to this Hero blood, we don't age like everyone else and we are harder to kill. Take Reaver for example. How many times has someone tried to kill you now?' 'I've lost count.' 'Point proven, now let's get back to business.' '-----SPARROW'S JOURNEY-----' The next morning, the old haunted mansion was in Sparrow's name, so the two Heroes, Samuel and Walter went to check the old mansion out. 'This is actually the first time I've been in here,' Samuel told Walter excitedly as Sparrow and Reaver struggled to open the front doors. 'I was forbidden to come here.' 'Probably with good reason, too,' Walter said, hand gripping his sword tightly. 'I don't like this. You said that this place is infested with hollow men, correct?' 'So my grandfather says.' 'Then how are we meant to clear them out? No offense, but you are no warrior, which only leaves Reaver and I to eliminate them seeing as Shad - I mean - Sparrow is forbidden to use any weapons. And I don't know about Reaver, but I have never faced any hollow men before.' 'Kid, stop worrying and get over here and help us with this god damn door!' Reaver growled. 'This door is definitely in need of some good maintenance,' Sparrow agreed as Walter joined them at the door along with Samuel. 'This was actually done on purpose,' Samuel whispered as they entered the haunted mansion. 'My something-great Grandfather had the door sealed so evil could not be unleashed upon the town. Though I suppose that over the years the seal has slowly disappeared from kids trying to break in as a dare.' 'Thankfully they didn't manage it,' Walter said, drawing his sword. This place gave him the creeps. 'How did it become invested with hollow men, anyway?' 'My something-great Grandfather, Henry’s, oldest son had an obsession with learning dark magic. Every night he would pray to the Shadows asking for power and immortality. One night, his wish was granted and he began to practice it. His father found out and ordered him to stop otherwise he would disown him.' 'Sounds like my father,' Reaver muttered as his keen eyes scanned the room. 'Cornelius refused to listen, so his father disowned him. Furious, Cornelius unsurprisingly sort revenge. While everyone was sleeping, he broke into the house and went down into the ancient reliquary. Then in its deepest and darkest part, Cornelius summoned hundreds of hollow men to appear. They wiped everyone out, except Henry. Some adventurer helped him. Since then, no one has lived here.' 'And since then they have probably multiplied,' said Sparrow. 'How? Can they mate or something?' asked Walter. 'I don't think so, kid,' Reaver chuckled. 'I think you'd find that the necessary parts fell off long ago.' Sparrow laughed lightly at Reaver's reasoning before saying, 'Some hollow men can summon other hollow men.' 'I bet that would be handy in battles,' muttered Walter. 'It would be,' Sparrow agreed. They had arrived at the Entrance Hall. 'Well, so far, so good,' muttered Samuel, looking around fascinated by his family history. 'Let's go to the Reliquary entry and have a look at the doorway so I can design a barrier to keep them in and people out,' said Sparrow. 'Right,' Samuel pulled out a map of the mansion. 'The Reliquary should be down this hall and to the right. Hey, we could make copies of this map to help people find their way around the Academy.' 'Good idea,' said Sparrow, seriously. 'Reaver, Walter, you two should go first as you aren't defenceless.' 'If I must,' Walter said, not sounding too thrilled about the idea. 'Come on, kid!' Reaver laughed, grabbing him by the arm and leading him forward. 'It'll be good training experience for you.' Sparrow and Samuel took up the rear. When they got to the room that held the Reliquary entrance, they found their way blocked by a group of hollow men... in armour. 'Now that's something I've never seen before,' Sparrow told Samuel, while Walter and Reaver fought off the hollow men. 'If you excuse me, I'm going to go help them.' 'But you don't have any weapons!' 'I know.' Sparrow snuck around the group of hollow men and analysed his opponents, something he had never down before. He had finally learnt patience. As Walter fell to the ground with a nasty cut on his shoulder, Sparrow ran at the hollow man that was about to end the young guard's life and punched off its head, before grabbing hold of its arms and forcing it to fight its fellow hollow men. When the last hollow man had fallen, Sparrow pushed his hollow man towards Reaver, who sliced it with his cutlass. 'Are you alright, Walter?' Sparrow asked, walking over to Walter, who was being seen to by Samuel. 'I'll live,' Walter replied with a wince. 'Good. I can't have you dying on my watch.' Sparrow then went and examined the Reliquary entrance. The door had been destroyed. About half an hour later, Sparrow knew what he needed and led to party away to avoid any more hollow men attacks. '-----SPARROW'S JOURNEY-----' It took Sparrow a month to gather all the necessary equipment to design a strong enough door barrier to prevent the hollow men from entering the actual mansion, soon to be academy. It then took him two months to build the actual door. Reaver, Sparrow and Walter end up spending the two month camping near the door to make sure hollow men didn't destroy the construction. Sparrow said that Walter could remain with Samuel and heal, but he stubbornly refused, stating that he had orders to watch Sparrow. Hence, Walter spent the two month sitting and watching Sparrow work with much interest. He then eagerly watched as Reaver and Sparrow fought off hollow men every now and then. He hoped that one day he could be a skilled fighter like them, not that he would ever admit it to them, especially Sparrow. Once the doors were in place, Sparrow locked them with the Guild Seal, before collapsing wearily next to Reaver. He still hadn't fully recovered from his time in jail. 'Where did you learn to build stuff like that?' Reaver asked, nodding to the door. 'I used to watch my father build things on our farm and from I young age I learnt how to build things,' Sparrow said with a slight shrug as he closed his eyes. 'Samuel and I can now get to organising this place.' And so they did. It took them a year to clean everything up, upon the way they found many rare and historical books as well as family artefacts Samuel and Clive were overjoyed to find. Once everything was set up, Sparrow and Walter headed back to Bowerstone while Reaver went off to find someone to sacrifice to the Shadow Court. To say that the journey to Bowerstone was awkward would be an understatement. Walter and Sparrow hadn't spoken to each other unless it was necessary during the time they were in Brightwall, so the journey was in silence. Sparrow often avoided speaking to the teenager due to the guilt he felt having murdered his father, and Walter hated Sparrow for what he did that he wanted nothing to do with the man. They immediately went to Sparrow's house, ignoring the fact that everyone was staring at them, though it made Walter highly uncomfortable, to start putting all of Sparrow's books and documents into boxes. 'Watch your step, I’m sort of a grub,' Sparrow said opening the front door and leading Walter inside. 'Wow,' said Walter, eyes widening at the sight before him. 'You found all of this on your travels.' 'No, some of it is bought and a small percentage stolen,' Sparrow said as he put a few empty boxes and chests on the ground for them to chuck things in. They worked in silence for a little while, during which time Walter would skim through a few items that caught his interest. 'You know, you could probably sell a few of these books and documents and make a great sum of money,' Walter said conversationally, but he was really trying to see if Sparrow was as selfish and cold hearted as before. 'Yeah, I know,' replied Sparrow, 'but money has no real appeal to me now. There are more important things in this world. Huh, I wondered where that went,' he added to himself, pulling a diary out of a pile of books. The diary was clearly a female’s diary and was covered in red roses. Walter thought it was a strange thing for Sparrow to have. 'It was my sister's,' Sparrow explained, noticing the look Walter was giving it. 'She used to write in it all the time before Lucien killed her.' Shadow had found it for Sparrow during one of their trips in Old Town. 'How old was she?' Walter asked quietly. 'Well I was eight so Rose would have been thirteen.' 'Why did he kill her?' 'He thought that she was a Hero. He tried to kill me too, except, me being the Hero he was after, I survived, obviously.' 'If you know how it feels to lose someone, why did you do it to others?' 'I won't try to make any excuses for what I did, for what I did was unacceptable, but I thought by hurting others I thought I would be able to harden my heart and throw away all human emotions. I thought that it was better to be scared and hated by everyone around me so I would never become close to anyone, and if I never became close with anyone then I would never have to lose anyone again. At least I think that was the reason. I was so lost and confused at the time that I probably had hundreds of reason, none of which make any sense.' Walter slowly processed what the older man had said. During his studies, he remembered his teacher saying that some criminals do what they do because they are emotionally unstable due to some sort of traumatic event. Sparrow was living proof of that, but he seemed to have gotten some sort of closer, and seemed like a normal, emotionally stable man. 'I know that nothing I say or do will erase what I have done, and I know that words will have little meaning, but I truly am sorry for what I did, Walter, and if there was any way for me to undo it, I would,' Sparrow said sincerely. Walter looked in to Sparrow's black eyes and saw that he was being sincere. He wasn't just saying it to gain the young guards trust. Walter gave Sparrow a small smile and nodded his head. Sparrow smiled back slightly. The atmosphere then changed dramatically between the two men; it was considerably lighter. Just over an hour later, Sparrow and Walter had managed to find all of Sparrow's books and documents to be donated and lugged them to the front door. 'There is no way we can carry all of this back to Brightwall,' Walter panted as they put down the last box. 'I know. Plus we still have to go to the bookstore and purchase all of their books,' said Sparrow. 'Maybe we can get a carriage,' Walter suggested. ‘Sure, if you believe you will be able to convince the driver to do anything for me.' 'He'll have to if I order him too,' Walter said innocently. 'I maybe only an apprentice, but I still have some authority.' 'In that case, let's go to the bookstore.' As the duo walked to Fiction Burns, Bowerstone's bookstore, many people ran away screaming or insulted Sparrow. Some even came over to have a go at Walter. 'How could you hang out with such a monster young man? Don't you know that you are throwing away your future?' 'I am a guard in training, who has been ordered to watch Sparrow,' Walter would reply, with a hint of coldness in his voice. 'Sorry about all this,' Sparrow said after the fifth person came over to Walter to give him a piece of their mind. 'I'm an in-training guard; I have to get used to getting nasty comments,' Walter shrugged. 'You'll end up being a great guard,' said Sparrow. 'Just focus on your fighting skill a bit more and you'll equal up to you colleagues.' 'I don't know if that is a compliment saying that I'm already equal to fully trained guards, even though I'm only a years into my training, or an insult to my fellow guards.' 'It was an insult,' Sparrow admitted. 'While the guards are good at handling some criminals, they have no idea how to handle criminals like me. In fact, they're not even that skilled with blades and guns,' he added as he entered the bookstore, where he had a lengthy conversation with the owner to allow him to by all stock, and giving her well beyond the actual price of everything he bought. 'Here you go,' Sparrow said, putting a heavy box in Walter's arms, fifteen minutes later, before picking up two other heavy boxes for himself to carry. 'Now all we have to do is get a carriage.' 'Let's just take these to the carriage place. I don't think I'll be able to carry it all the way to your place. Are you sure it's full of books and not bricks?' 'I'm sure,' Sparrow laughed. 'If you want we can swap?' 'No thanks, I'm good. I don't know how you can carry two when I'm struggling with one!' 'I’m one third Hero of Strength.' 'Right.' They went the rest of the way to catch a carriage in silence. Once there, Walter managed to get one of the gamer carriage drivers to take them to Brightwall, with a brief stop near Sparrow's house so they could load all the books up. 'Reaver will be happy,' Sparrow said conversationally as they sat in the carriage surround by boxes of books as they made their way back to Brightwall. 'He was complaining how messy my house was. Now with all the books and documents gone, it looks tidier.' 'But not by much,' replied Walter. Sparrow noted he had something on his mind. Something he had been thinking about since Sparrow insulted the guards. 'What's on your mind?' he asked. 'Nothing.' 'Uh huh?' Sparrow wasn't convinced. 'Well, it's just... I've been about what you said about guards and... You're right. We look like kids playing with wooden swords compared to people like you. Many guards die each day because we aren't experienced enough. So I was wondering...' Walter hesitated, looking at his knees. 'Go on,' Sparrow said, sounding very fatherly. Walter looked straight into Sparrow's black eyes. When he had first met Sparrow; the Hero's eyes creped him out, but now they didn't. In fact, Walter swore, that in certain lights, Sparrow's eyes looked like a very dark green. 'I was wondering if you'd be willing to teach me to become more experienced with a sword and firearm.' Walter held his breath, waiting for Sparrow to laugh and say no. He was shocked when Sparrow said seriously, 'Sure. Why not? We need to have at least one decent guard in Albion.' And so Walter's training began. While Samuel happily and enthusiastically sorted and arranged the Academy, Sparrow took Walter outside and began to teach him all he knew, while Reaver lounged around watching and making sly comments. 'You’re thinking too much,' Sparrow said, helping Walter off the ground again. 'But aren't you meant too?' Walter asked, rubbing his bum. He had fallen hard that time. 'No. You’re meant to feel. The sword is meant to feel like an extension of your arm, not just a sharp piece of steel.' 'Or a stick, in your case,' Reaver added without looking up from the autobiography he was writing. Sparrow and Walter were fighting with thick branches. 'Again,' Sparrow ordered. 'Only this time, follow your instincts. Don't think as much.' Walter nodded his head with a determined look on his face. He attacked. Sparrow blocked the attack easily. He didn't even blink. Walter attacked again. Sparrow easily blocked once more, before knocking Walter back on his bum again. 'You're going to be sore tonight, kid,' said an amused Reaver. Walter glared at the Thief. Sparrow looked at the guard apprentice thoughtfully, before asking, 'Have you been taught different combos?' 'Yes. That's one of the first things we are taught.' 'I thought so,' Sparrow said, before asking, 'Do you know why I'm able to block all your attacks and knock you to the ground?' 'Is it because you're a better fighter than me?' ‘It has nothing to do with that. Actually, it may have a slight impact. Think. Why do you think I can constantly knock you to the ground?’ Walter shook his head. 'I know all your combos, so I know how to react. You guards all fight the same way. This gives your opponents the advantage for they know what to expect. So, for now on, forget all that you have learnt about sword fighting. Instead, go with your instincts. Don't have a set attack. Change it every time to give you the upper hand.' Kay,' said Walter, determinedly. 'Again!' Walter just stood there thinking. Sparrow sighed and knocked him on his bum again. Walter glared up Sparrow. 'No use glaring at me,' Sparrow said calmly. 'In a real fight, your enemy isn't going to wait while you think about how you are going to attack them. They’re going to kill you the moment they get the chance. Now… again!' And so Sparrow had Walter outside every day doing the same thing; attacking Sparrow and falling on his bum. Nothing he did seem to make the Hero happy, for he was always telling him that he was doing something wrong or where he needed to improve. Reaver didn't help the situation much either. His very presence was distracting. When he pointed this out to Sparrow, the Hero replied, 'Good. In a fight there are a lot of distracting things. Reaver is helping you secretly, though he'll never admit to it. That or he is doing it subconsciously.' Months passed and still Sparrow had no praises only criticism. Then, he decided it was time to put Walter the test, two days before the Academy’s opening. 'I have to be honest with you, Samuel... And you too, Walter,' Sparrow said over breakfast. 'I actually have a hidden agenda to why I wanted to build the academy here. I need to hide a relic in the Reliquary. It's the only place it will be safe with the hollow men guarding it... until it is needed again.' 'What is this relic?' asked Walter, curiously. Sparrow pulled out the silver music box. 'One day, someone bearing the Guild Seal will seek access to the Reliquary,' Sparrow told Samuel. 'Allow them access. Only a Hero will be able to make it through unaided. Walter, I'm going down there after breakfast. You should come with me to get some firsthand training. Besides, I need someone to protect me.' 'But I barely survived the hollow men when we first got here!' Walter exclaimed. 'And hopefully you have learnt from your mistake from last time.' 'Wouldn't Reaver be better protection?' 'Firstly, I'm going to the tavern after breakfast to find some fun, since Sparrow has become boring, and I doubt you and the librarian will be much fun,' replied Reaver. 'And secondly, it is your job to watch Sparrow, or did you forget?' 'I didn't forget,' mumbled Walter, but in actual fact, he had. During the time he had been here, he no longer saw Sparrow as a criminal, but rather an older brother. 'Now you know why you must go,' Reaver said before walking off to get ready for the day. 'I thought he was having fun here?' Samuel said when Reaver was gone. 'He's always tormenting Walter and making snide remarks.' 'I'm going to put this in plain English seeing as you cannot speak "Reaver",' said Sparrow. 'He is going off to the tavern to find someone to sleep with, seeing as he doesn't want to sleep with either of you, plus he knows that neither of you would want to sleep with him. He’s also going there because I won't sleep with him either.' 'He said that you weren't any fun anymore. Does that mean you have slept with him before?' asked Walter. 'You bet he did,' Reaver said walking back into the room to get something. 'The little virgin was desperate to get my attention and he did.' 'Oh get out of here!' Sparrow said, throwing a cushion at the pirate. 'I plan to.' Reaver left to go to the tavern. 'Come on, Walter. Let's get going,' said Sparrow, getting up and walking to the reliquary. 'If I must,' Walter grumbled, following Sparrow out with Samuel yelling out, 'Good luck,' behind him. As the big silver doors opened to the Reliquary, Walter nervously followed Sparrow inside, where he then stood anxiously while Sparrow relocked the door. 'I'm going to regret this, aren't I?' Walter whispered to Sparrow as they walked through the Reliquary. Walter jumped at every little sound. 'No,' Sparrow said as he looked around. He was fascinated by everything around him. 'But you should relax, Walter. It's not like there will be a hollow man around every corner.' They rounded a corner and came across a group of hollow men. 'You were saying?' Walter asked, preparing himself, as the hollow men charged at him. 'That doesn't prove anything. Remember what I taught you!' Walter didn't answer. Instead he focused on defeating the hollow men. He wasn't doing so well. 'Walter, you're meant to be destroying them, not dancing with them!' Sparrow scolded. 'I’m trying!' Walter yelled back, with a hint of teenage attitude. 'Don't take that tone with me,' Sparrow continued to scold, walking up behind him and pushing away any hollow men that got in his way. He then pushed his body up against Walter's and grabbed his arms, the exact same way he did with the hollow man when they first came to the academy. 'What are you doing?' Walter exclaimed, startled. 'Making sure you don't get yourself killed,' Sparrow replied calmly, forcing Walter's arm to slash a nearby hollow man. 'Your objective is to destroy your enemies, not to parry with them. If you use different techniques similar to these moves then you should be able to create an opening to finish, or at least really injure, your enemy.' Sparrow guided Walter's moves before he very slowly stopped guiding and allowed Walter to fight the enemies by himself. 'We did it,' Walter said cheerfully, when all the hollow men were destroyed. He then realised that Sparrow wasn't pressed up against him anymore. He turned around and saw Sparrow leaning against a pillar, smiling. 'No, you did it. I only helped you with the first few. I let go about half way through it.' 'You knew that I would okay?' 'Of course I did. I wouldn't have taken you down here if I didn't think you were ready.' 'I didn't think I was. You never once let on that you thought I was good enough.' 'That's because I didn't want you to get over confident,' Sparrow said patiently. 'Overconfidence is a killer. If I wasn’t so overconfident when I was younger, I would have saved myself some pain and scars.' To prove his point, Sparrow rolled up one of his sleeves and showed Walter all of his scars. Walter's eyes widened at the sight. 'I think I've made my point,' Sparrow said with slight chuckle. 'Come on, there's more hollow men for you to destroy.' Walter proved to be a very talented young man, though he did get overconfident a few times, something Sparrow scolded him on immediately. You couldn't blame him for becoming overconfident, though. Every hollow men group they came across, Walter was able to defeat them without any help from Sparrow, though he did get a lot of criticism. However, that does not mean that their journey went smoothly. When they were near the end of the reliquary, three huge hollow men appeared, blocking their way. 'You've got to be kidding me,' Walter said, taking several steps backwards. 'They can't be hollow men.' 'They are,' Sparrow said warily. 'Remember how I told you about the hollow men who could summon more hollow men?' 'Yes,' Walter said slowly, not liking where this was going. 'These are those hollow men, unless I'm very much mistaken.' As if to prove that Sparrow wasn't wrong, the three large hollow men summoned ten lesser hollow men each. 'Remain calm,' Sparrow instructed, noticing how pale Walter was. 'Fear and panic won't help you. They are not your allies. A calm warrior is more likely to succeed than one jumping at shadows.' 'I know,' Walter said, swallowing his fear, with great difficulty, and met the incoming wave of enemies. At first Walter did alright, but all the other battles made him tired and he soon began to make silly mistakes, regardless of Sparrow's encouragement and instruction. He ended up losing his sword and ended up landing flat on his arse... again. If it wasn't Sparrow knocking him to the ground, it was the hollow men. Unable to get back to his feet, Walter ended up bum-shuffling into a corner trapped. Then, just as a hollow man was about to strike the young guard down, a tsunami of fire engulfed the hollow men, destroying them. At first Walter couldn't comprehend what had happened, but as a wildfire went charging towards the summoning hollow men, the young guard saw that it was Sparrow creating all the fire. The Hero's skin was covered in blood red Will lines, which amazed Walter, until he looked past them. Sparrow looked as though he was in pain and was extremely pale... paler than usual anyway. When the last of the hollow men were destroyed, Sparrow collapsed to the ground exhausted. 'Sparrow!' Walter yelled, rushing to his friend and mentor's side. 'I'm alright,' Sparrow said with a slight grin. 'Are you okay?' 'Just a few minor wounds and a bruised bum, but that's about it,' replied Walter, helping Sparrow to his feet. The moment Sparrow stood up; he ended up collapsing to the ground again. 'I thought you said that you were alright!' Walter accused. 'I am, I'm just... a little weak,' Sparrow admitted. 'I have been trying to gather my Will since we first arrived in Brightwall. And now I have nothing left.' 'But how can that be? You were famous for you power over Will. In the Crucible, didn't you accidentally set someone's eyebrows on fire, even though they are far above the arena?' 'True, but back then my Will was based on negative emotions such as hate and jealous. Now it is based on positive emotions like love and happiness. So I have to re-find my Will.' For half an hour the friends waited, regaining their strength, before finishing their journey. Strangely enough, no hollow men bothered them. At the end of the reliquary they found a podium with an empty display column in the middle. The item that had been on display was now in a thousand pieces of the floor. Sparrow placed the music box on the podium, looking at it fondly, before grabbing Walter's arm and putting his other hand on the music box. 'Take us back to the academy,' Sparrow said and before Walter knew it, they were standing in front of a startled Samuel. 'Sorry, Sam!' Sparrow laughed.